Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:10 PM

Harkin Expects Quick Confirmation For Vilsack

BY JERRY HAGSTROM, CongressDaily

Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin said he expects his committee to swiftly confirm fellow Iowa Democrat Tom Vilsack as Agriculture secretary, but other congressional leaders were a little more restrained in their praise and farm leaders were mixed on the former governor.

"Tom Vilsack has a strong record in Iowa on building opportunities in renewable energy, conservation, food and nutrition, experience that will serve him well as secretary of Agriculture," Harkin said. "With our economy in a downturn, Tom Vilsack knows how to bring change that will rebuild rural economies and keep them vibrant. As someone who has been a supporter of Tom Vilsack from the time he ran for governor to the time he ran for president, I believe he will be a strong Secretary of Agriculture and I expect a swift confirmation by the Senate Agriculture Committee."

President-elect Barack Obama and Vilsack may, however, have some fence-mending to do with the Iowa senators. Both Harkin and Republican Charles Grassley noted in early news releases that they had heard about the nomination from news reports, not from the Obama transition office. "This comes as a surprise since about three weeks ago Governor Vilsack stated that he was not in contention for the job, but it sure isn't a surprise because of his qualifications," Grassley said. "As governor of Iowa, he has a firsthand look at the role of agriculture in our global economy. I'm happy for him, happy for Iowa, and this is welcome news for agriculture."

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., who had earlier said that he would prefer someone more experienced with Washington than a governor, congratulated Vilsack and called him "a strong advocate who understands the changing landscape of our nation's rural economy." On Nov. 5, Peterson told Reuters that Obama should nominate for Agriculture secretary "somebody who understands agriculture, who has knowledge of agriculture." Peterson added, "I'm not big on governors and so forth."

Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., said he was looking forward to working with Vilsack, but also said, "With the selection of Governor Vilsack, Iowa agriculture will be well represented in both the legislative and executive branches." Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., who opposed the farm bill, said, "I am optimistic about this appointment -- Tom Vilsack has a strong commitment to land and water conservation policy, and has indicated a desire to reform USDA agriculture payments, including a tighter cap on commodity subsidies."

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said that Vilsack has a "distinguished record of public service and a compelling personal life story that would enable him to be both a unifying force and a powerful advocate for American farm families, something our nation desperately needs right now." But in what appeared to be a hint that he needs to pay attention to the South, she said, "With food security, conservation of our natural resources, rural economic vitality, and, increasingly, our energy independence all tied to the success of American agriculture, I am hopeful that the next secretary works to unite a grateful nation behind the hardworking farm and ranch families that make it all possible."

The National Cotton Council was bolder in noting that Vilsack does not have experience with Southern agriculture. "Although the cotton industry has not had an occasion to work with Governor Vilsack like our colleagues in the livestock, grain and oilseed industries, we are confident President-elect Obama has nominated a highly qualified individual to serve in this important position and to promote U.S. agriculture," the group said. "Cotton industry leaders across the country are anxiously awaiting the nomination of individuals to serve in key positions at USDA and other agencies who are familiar with Sun Belt agriculture and who understand the challenges of diverse crop production on commercially viable farms capable of competing in domestic and international markets."

Neither Obama nor Vilsack mentioned the battle over limits on farm payments to big farmers and landowners, an issue that has split agriculture, with the southern farmers attempting to defend their payments while Grassley and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., have led the charge for payment limits. Dorgan said, "Tom Vilsack is a former governor of Iowa, so he understands agriculture issues in the northern plains. I'm confident he will be on the side of family farmers when it comes to strengthening the farm safety net, promoting ethanol and advanced biofuels, and other critical agriculture issues."

Corn growers and refiners expressed enthusiasm. National Corn Growers Association Chairman Ron Litterer, a farmer in Greene, Iowa, said, "As a former two-term governor from a state where corn plays such an important role, Vilsack has demonstrated a commitment and deep knowledge of issues ranging from ethanol to conservation." Corn Refiners Association President Audrae Erickson called Vilsack an "exceptional candidate to become the next secretary of Agriculture."

R-CALF USA, the cattlemen's group, said its members were reassured by Obama's statement at the news conference that he wants to make sure "that the policies being shaped... are designed to serve not big agribusiness or Washington influence peddlers, but family farmers and the American people."

Environmental Defense Fund Vice President Robert Bonnie praised the appointment, noting that Vilsack has been "a strong supporter of a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases, carbon offsets and other measures to help stop global warming." EDF agriculture policy director Sara Hopper added, "Governor Vilsack has a long history of supporting voluntary conservation programs focused on working agricultural lands, and he has advocated for sensible farm policy reforms."

Marshall Matz of the law firm Olsson, Frank & Weeda, who lobbies for school food service workers and organized a private sector group to campaign for Obama in rural America, said Vilsack is a "a wonderful choice. I think he is passionate about rural development. He is a perfect choice for this administration and for the campaign we had in rural America."

The left-leaning Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy was less enthusiastic. "As Iowa's governor, Vilsack has shown a fairly conventional perspective on agriculture -- particularly related to biotechnology and the siting of factory farms -- that seems to indicate a status quo approach," said President Jim Harkness. "But these are unconventional times, and with his charge to implement the national vision for agriculture of President-elect Obama, he has an opportunity to address the concerns of farmers -- big and small, organic and conventional -- and consumers, as well as environmental challenges facing the country." Harkness said Vilsack's "No. 1 challenge" is to address extreme price volatility in farm products and inputs.